User Review: Pneugear Cocoon 4

Reviewed June 24, 2000 by Todd Hackett

Rating: rated 5 of 5 stars
Design: mummy
Fill: 650 fill down
Temperature Rating: -45F to 70F
Weight: 10lbs
Price Paid: $1395

I own a Cocoon 4 Extreme, made by Pneugear (www.pneugear.com). The company's ads claim it is comfortable from 45 degrees below zero to 70 above, that it is TOTALLY WATERPROOF, and that it is comfortable on bumpy ground. So far I can vouch for two out of three of those claims.

It sure is waterproof - I got inside during a driving rain with my clothes really wet. I took off my jacket inside, and pushed it down into the toe area, and did the same with my pants. My shirt and long johns were also wet, but I kept them on anyway. A few minutes later, I couldn't feel the wet clothing, and in 20 minutes I was asleep. I woke up next morning warm and dry, and my jacket and pants were only damp. Pneugear claims that moisture is absorbed by the skin, and since it can't get into the down insulation, the sleeping bag stays completely warm. It rained most of the night, but I was warm and dry, even though my head was only covered by the tent (they call it a canopy) they supply.

I've used the Cocoon 4 on pretty rough ground, and I've never felt any of it. The down filled mattress is over 4" thick, so it can absorb a pretty big rock without it sticking into you. I don't put anything under it, since you can clean it with a hose or a washcloth.

The Cocoon sleeping bag is inflatable - it comes with a really simple inflator sack which blows it up in about 5 minutes. This inflation controls the thickness of the down insulation. When it is warm out, you leave the blanket deflated, so it stays cool. If it gets cold out, you pump more air into the blanket, which makes the down thicker and warmer. I've slept out at temperatures as high as 65 degrees and as low as about zero. At that lower temperature, I only had to half inflate the blanket to keep really warm, and so my guess is that it probably could go to 45 below. You definitely need the neat hood that comes with it, though.

The cocoon is roomy inside. I am 6' and weigh 260, and I can change my clothes inside. When the Cocoon is rolled up, it is only 11" in diameter by 17" long, so it fits in the sleeping bag pocket of my Lowe pack. It weighs only 10 pounds, so that it is smaller and lighter than my regular sleeping bag, ground pad and tent.

The Cocoon 4 is definitely the most comfortable sleep I've ever had outdoors. In fact maybe even indoors. The company claims it is the world's best sleeping bag, and I can't argue with that.

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